After a season of disappointment and heartbreak, the New York Jets know they can be better.
IT DOESN’T TAKE A GENIUS to understand that this year is imperative for the New York Jets. Following an abysmal year, the Jets need to get back on track in order for any return on investment. A star-studded cast, including a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, plenty of young talent, and the number-one ranked defense in the league should’ve been enough to put anything on paper.
A season of implosion, embarrassment, and turmoil preceded this season. Now, it’s time for the Jets to turn it around. The Jets certainly think so.
The story of the Jets has been nothing short of an up and down roller coaster that no fan or those associated with the organization can seem to bring to a halt. Like an endless feedback loop that just feeds the media peculiar and quirky storylines 24/7. The Jets paid Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers a blank check when the team traded for him last season, but within four snaps of the NFL season the team was sent scrambling for answers after Rodgers tore his Achilles.
The team fell into a freefall for the rest of the year, incurring random spurts of Zach Wilson brilliance but most of the time in an infernal slide to the depths of NFL doom. The team finished with more lowlights than high, 7-10, with the only team worse being the equally troubled New England Patriots. But more than that– it’s clear that the city and the front office is growingly impatient. The organization has yet to see its return on investment for Rodgers, their young stars are eager to sign pricey extensions, and it can’t seem to stay out of the media spotlight.
Even this season, the heat was fully on Aaron Rodgers– who’s grown a knack for his unorthodox style since his waning seasons with the Packers, as he missed mandatory minicamp for reasons that were unknown until recently– a previously planned trip to Egypt. Incurring massive penalties and continuing his ability to get on the wrong side of the fourth estate, Rodgers was bashed on nearly every network and platform.
Just yesterday, a training camp goer caught what seemed to be a heated interaction between Rodgers and wide receiver Garrett Wilson. Things have been shaky for the New York Jets, but the team still thinks it’s their year.
“I think we all felt like last year was going to kind of be that for us,” head coach Robert Saleh said. “Last year really felt like we were getting ready to take that third-year leap, similar to what Detroit experienced this year. And obviously it didn’t work out the way we wanted to, but … this year’s going to be fun.”
Head coaching jobs aren’t usually made or broke in year. Except this one. Everything Saleh and the Jets have done in the past has culminated up until this point. Last year, Saleh caught plenty of flack for continuing to stick by disheveled QB Zach Wilson, even when he showed to the world he wasn’t up to par in the league. Then, Saleh once again caught the attention of his superiors by losing it on the team– berating his own staff for supposedly leaking information out to the press. At one point reports stated that Saleh might’ve lost control of the team– an fracture from the inside out.
MORE ON THE NEW YORK JETS: What Can The New York Jets do to Help Aaron Rodgers Out?
Now, that trajectory must be drastically changed.
Throughout the waves of the Jets, the “win now” mentality has been firmly placed upon the team. But the Jets aren’t wavering from it. They understand what they have– and if all goes well, which is far from a surefire guarantee, there’s no reason to assume it couldn’t be the case.
“You know, the pressure is always going to be there. We always feel pressure to win. Now [or] later, it doesn’t matter. As far as outside noise, and creating the expectations of ultimatums, it doesn’t matter,” head coach Robert Saleh told reporters on Friday.
“That’s an end result we have no control over, but we have what we have control over, and the greatest expectation is to be our best every day, and really that’s the biggest focus.”
Saleh expects a huge leap this year than last. Embarrassing moments had the team in a chokehold like a 0-30 loss to the Miami Dolphins and a 13-38 loss earlier in the season. The fact of the matter is the Jets need something to change and quickly. This year will be Rodgers’ first full year barring any injuries. A lineup filled with superstars and the league’s best defense in 2023 according to PFF have the team in high spirits but questions still loom.
Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett is as popular as ketchup on a New York strip, drawing sharp criticism for his performance without Rodgers in tandem and his seemingly lack of control over the offense as Rodgers is presumed to be top dog. Hackett’s offense was the worst-ranked unit in the NFL and the 30th-ranked passing machine. Awful numbers for a team that’s banking on a quarterback to change things around.
Saleh has never lost faith in him however, constantly coming to his support whenever needed.
“I’ve got a lot of faith in him. When you look at, and it’s going to be hard for people to recognize it but starting with the Atlanta game, through tape, seen a lot of improvement,” said Saleh. “I do feel like we’ve gotten better, especially over this last half of the season. We’ve got a chance to finish strong.”
No matter what kind of questions a team gets– only one matters at the end of the day, one that the Jets have not been able to answer in past years. “Have you made the playoffs?”
The New York Jets will attempt to change that this upcoming season– something they think they can do.
